Roanoke marathon included in ranking of world’s 15 toughest

Publishing a subjective “Best of” list is always a bit risky.

Such lists inevitably invite debate, and maybe that’s the point.

Still, it’s probably better to be included than to not be included, and that was what Pete Eshelman was thinking when he was contacted last week for help with a list.

“A guy from The Weather Channel called and asked if we could provide some pictures from the marathon,” Eshelman said.

The marathon, in this case, was the Blue Ridge Marathon, which The Weather Channel was including in its list of The World’s 15 Toughest Marathons.

“We had no idea,” it was coming, Eshelman said.

The Weather Channel — which clearly doesn’t cover only weather for its web site — put the list together with help from running gurus, including Bart Yasso, the chief running officer for Runner’s World magazine, and U.S. Olympian Jeff Galloway.

The list is heavy on trail marathons, though the brutal Carvins Cove Marathon didn’t make it, but probably could have.

Others on the list include the Crater Lake Rim Run at 7,000-plus feet of elevation, the Equinox Trail Marathon in Fairbanks, Alaska, and Arizona’s Mount Lemmon Marathon, which shares something of a fun rivalry with the Blue Ridge Marathon.

Organizers of the Blue Ridge Marathon have said from the beginning that they wanted the race to be known for its difficulty, which hinges on more than 3,500 feet of elevation gain and an equally daunting 3,500 feet of steep down hills.

That approach seems to be working.

Participation in the event, which includes half-marathon, relay and kid’s “marathon” options, has been growing, with last year’s event drawing more than 1,000 runners.

Sign-ups for the April 20, 2013, race are about 80 percent of last year’s numbers at this point, said Eshelman, adding that the 2013 event will feature a trio of high-profile guests.

Yasso is slated to run, as are U.S. marathon legends Bill Rodgers and Frank Shorter.

Rodgers was in town for last year’s event, appearing as a guest speaker at a pre-race pasta dinner.

Eshelman said all three men will speak at this year’s pre-race meal.

While Yasso, Rodgers and Shorter might attract some runners to this spring’s race, Eshelman said he expects the payoff to come later.

“We feel like this year is going to be great,” he said. “But we expect to realize the biggest benefits next year.”

Whitehurst earns conservation award

A regional wildlife professionals organization has honored a longtime Virginia Department of Game and Inland Fisheries biologist.

The Southeastern Association of Fish and Wildlife Agencies bestowed its Clarence E. Watson Award on David Whitehurst, the DGIF’s Bureau of Wildlife Resources director.

The award recognizes the individual’s contributions to wildlife conservation.

Whitehurst, who has been with the DGIF for 38 years, has been involved with many of the agency’s larger projects.

Projects include the building of Briery Creek Lake, the state’s premier trophy largemouth bass fishery, removal of the Embrey Dam on the Rappahannock River to allow the passage of anadromous fish, and development of the Virginia Birding and Wildlife Trail.

Whitehurst, who has undergraduate and graduate degrees from North Carolina State, received the award at the group’s annual conference in Hot Springs, Ark.

He is the third Virginian to receive the award, the others being former DGIF director Chester Phelps (1971) and game warden John Crumb (1968).

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